Yearn-Worthy Yarns: Blue Sky Alpacas

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Blue Sky AlpacasIt’s time for the first Yearn-Worthy Yarns installment of 2008. In honor of the New Year and new opportunities for creative endeavors, I chose to feature one of my all-time favorite sustainable yarn brands. Don’t be confused by the name – Blue Sky Alpacas sells more than just alpaca yarns; they also feature organic cotton, wool, and hand-dyed batches.

Early 2007 provided me with the pleasure of trying out a hank of their newly-released Hand Spun Organic Cotton yarn. Used in tandem with O-Wool’s Balance yarn, I made a basic color block scarf that is unspeakably soft and beautiful to look at. Working with the Hand Spun Organic Cotton was nothing short of a vacation for my hands. Since then, I obtained four skeins of Dyed Organic Cotton yarn in Orchid, but have yet to finish the sweater I started with it (uh-oh).

Other than simply using organic cotton and sustainably-raised alpaca, Blue Sky is also expanding into supporting social causes. For their newest release, the previously mentioned Hand Spun Organic Cotton yarn, Blue Sky headed to Peru. “The yarn production is helping preserve a centuries-old tradition of eco-friendly cotton cultivation in Peru and improve the lives of the poverty-stricken women who live there. Working with a local charity, Blue Sky Alpacas employs women to spin Hand Spun Organic Cotton, providing them with a living wage that helps them care for their families and send their children to school,” according to their website.

In addition to their impeccable five inch double-pointed needle sets and all-natural hand balm, BSA offers a drool-worthy collection of free and affordable patterns for nearly every creation you could dream up. Prefer to pick out your yarn first? Each yarns’ page features related patterns that are available in most yarn stores, both online and in-person.

My crafty goal for 2008 is to complete my first sweater and I plan on using Blue Sky Alpacas organic cotton to do so; whether or not it will be the Orchid-colored skeins I already purchased is yet to be seen.

[Image courtesy of Blue Sky Alpacas; dyed 100% organic cotton]

Who makes your favorite sustainable yarns?

Which natural fiber is your favorite to work with? (i.e. cotton, wool, bamboo … etc.)

Let us know what you love to create with and we might feature them in the next installment of Yearn-Worthy Yarns!

Written by Victoria Everman

I think of myself as a creatively versatile eco-powerhouse. Freelance writer, life-long model, on-camera personality, public speaker, official U.S. spokesperson for Twice Shy Clothing - I'm a classic Renaissance woman and mistress-of-all-trades.

Though my days of growing up in the corn fields of central Indiana are behind me, forgetting where I came from is not an option. I lost my father unexpectedly in March of 2006, months before moving from NYC to San Francisco, which helped to amplify my zest for life and thirst to help change the world.

Perpetually looking for fresh ways to share my unquenchable green knowledge, I blog about everything eco on my own website, as well as for All Green Magazine and select others. Additionally, I am the editor/head writer of Crafting a Green World (part of the Green Options blog network) and a writer/web editor for Building Green TV. My diverse articles have been published in variety of reputable magazines, such as: Yoga Journal, Venus, CRAFT, Yogi Times, Recovery Solutions, M+F, and Office Solutions.

In my spare time, you can find me knitting, reading, singing, taking pictures, practicing yoga, taking long walks, and working on my first non-fiction book. Other random facts about me: I'm a Buddhist, latex fan, have four tattoos, and an attempting locavore.

MOVING TO PORTLAND, OREGON IN JUNE 2008

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